The present invention relates generally to motorcycle stands. More particularly, this invention pertains to a method of adjusting a motorcycle stand from side to side to accommodate various widths of motorcycles. The invention requires no tools to operate and securely fixes the motorcycle stand at the desired width.
Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, there is shown a rear motorcycle stand 5 used for raising the rear of a motorcycle 2 off the ground for maintenance. A rear motorcycle stand raises the rear of the motorcycle high enough off the ground for maintenance including rear wheel removal while keeping the motorcycle oriented vertically as viewed from the front or rear. Most rear motorcycle stands consist of a main chassis 10 with an upright structural member 12 on each side. On top of each structural member 12 rests a top support 14 that engages the motorcycle swing arm near the rear axle. The top supports 14 often have accommodations for width adjustment 16.
One common prior art method for width adjustment 16 involves a square tube 18 permanently fixed to the upright structural member 12. A slightly smaller square tube 20 or square solid member is part of the top support 12 that includes a support plate 21 for engaging the motorcycle swing arm. The smaller square member 20 is allowed to move side-to-side with respect to the larger square tube 18. The larger square tube 18 has a female threaded member permanently affixed to it. A screw 22 penetrates the threaded member that can be tightened against the smaller square member 20 to prevent side-to-side motion of the top support 14 to accommodate the width of the motorcycle. Typically, a knob 24 is integrated into the screw allowing width adjustment to be made without tools. A disadvantage of this method is that a loose fit often exists between the larger square tube and smaller square member. This results in a top support that does not securely hold the motorcycle. Pit Bull brand motorcycle stands have used the same method of width adjustment since 1994. Since that time, several other brands have used the same method. The Pit Bull method utilizes a vertically oriented hex head machine screw 26 threaded into the top of the upright structural member 12 to hold the top support 14 in position. To facilitate width adjustment and prevent the top support 14 from rotating, the top support 14 consists of two parallel bars 28 that fit around a raised guide (shown in FIG. 6) on the upright structural member 12. To adjust width, the screw 26 is loosened slightly and the top support 14 is slid to the desired position and then the screw 26 is re-tightened.
The Pit Bull system has two advantages over the square tube system. First, the top support is held very securely once the screw 26 is tightened. Second, the outboard placement of the hex head machine screw allows the top support to be adjusted to a wider position. A disadvantage of the Pit Bull system is that a wrench is required to loosen and re-tighten the bolt.